What Keeps Seniors From Downsizing

Seniors are waiting longer before they make a change. For many, they wait so long that they end up limiting their options. They have a fall, are injured to an extent that they're no longer able to live independently, and now have a crisis to move. Real Estate 55 Plus CEO Juli Anne Gibson joins Suzanne to talk about what holds people back, the biggest questions people ask about downsizing, and provides an example of a family that faced a moving crisis. Juli Anne says, “It's amazing what you don't see when you live in your own home. When you have somebody with fresh eyes coming in, we can see all of the possible hazards in somebody's home. That includes not just the house itself, but someone's physical presence. Oftentimes people are dehydrated, or malnourished, or their balance is off. And so they're not taking care of themselves in the way that they could so they could live independently longer.” What holds people back from downsizing? Juli Anne says, "I think it depends. I think a lot of it's not knowing, it's the unknown. And I think in the United States, we really pride ourselves on independence. When we're teaching workshops, one of the questions we ask is, have you made a plan for housing and aging and overwhelming? We hear people say, 'I want to stay in my home until you take me out feet first.' And I always say, what's the plan for you being able to stay in your current home? And what we find is a lot of times a senior is only living in maybe 25 - 35% of their home. And the reason they don't want to move it because they don't know how they could possibly do that and. Oftentimes when we come in, and we can show them these are the options available to you, and this is how you could do it, it's a relief for people. Our, goal is that someone make good decisions and proactive decisions about housing and aging." You can reach Juli Anne Gibson at (800) 964-1553 or https://realestate55plus.com/. Learn more:* Real Estate 55 Plus: https://realestate55plus.com/* Juli Anne Gibson: https://realestate55plus.com/team/* Call 800-964-1553 to speak to a live person Hear more shows with Juli Anne Gibson: https://answersforelders.com/tag/juli-anne-gibson/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.